1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus and a method of flushing a recording head of the same.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, in an ink jet recording apparatus, when a predetermined time period elapses after execution of print processing, a flushing operation is carried out by ejecting ink droplets from nozzles of a recording head, so as to prevent the nozzles from being clogged. In the case of carrying out the flushing operation in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, a carriage 101 having a recording head 100 mounted thereon is moved to a position above a capping device 102 arranged in a non-printing region outside a range of motion of the carriage 101 for printing and then ink droplets are ejected toward the capping device 102. The range of motion of the carriage 101 for printing is a range within which the carriage 101 moves to effect printing on a recording medium 103. The range has opposite side zones thereof spreading outwardly from locations opposed to respective opposite side edges of the recording medium 103 such that the range includes regions through which the carriage 101 passes during its acceleration/deceleration and regions for carrying out an off-area printing, i.e. printing effected on a side edge of the recording medium 103 and an area outward of the same.
In the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, however, when a flushing operation is carried out during execution of the printing process, it is required to move the carriage 101 from the range of motion for printing to the non-printing region for flushing, and then return the carriage 101 to the range of motion for printing, so as to resume printing. Therefore, a time period required for the printing process is inevitably prolonged.